Your baby this week18 weeks pregnant

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Spa-ahh

Have the urge to take a mid-pregnancy getaway? How about a relaxing, indulgent trip to a spa? Whether you have a quick visit or try out a day spa, try a facial, a back massage, a manicure or a soothing foot massage. Many spas offer massages that make use of special pillows with a belly cutout, so you can comfortably lie on your stomach for a while while being massaged.

Preggo - not fat

You're pregnant -- and you want the world to know! So when are people going to stop saying, "Is she getting fat?" and start saying, "Oh, she's pregnant!"?

The answer: It varies. "When expectant moms start to show depends on what kind of shape the mom is in before she gets pregnant and how many times she has been pregnant," says Kenneth Johnson, DO, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Read more here!

Tummy tattoo?

If you have a tattoo on your belly, you may wonder what pregnancy will do to it. Six moms told us what they're finding out:

"I have a little one about 1.5 to 2 inches to the right of my belly button. It's not very big. Originally size was about 1.5 inches long and maybe 1 inch across. It's a small black tribal design with a single purple rose in the middle. I love my tattoo and I still do. It has stretched a little, but thank God, not much!" - Misty ...

Nutrition notes

Sometimes pregnant women crave salty foods, and this isn’t all bad. During pregnancy yoursodium requirements do increase somewhat, but that’s not a good reason to go salt crazy. Too much sodium can cause pregnancy swelling and preeclampsia. Plus many of the foods that women crave with extra salt (like pretzels and potato chips) have extra calories you don’t need and lack the nutrients you do need to build a healthy baby.

Casting call!

It's still early, but have you thought about making a belly cast? It's an amazing way to memorialize your pregnant shape! Photos and video just can't capture your shape in three dimensions the way an easy, fun-to-make belly cast can. Read more about belly casting here.

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